Damaging Wind in Tennessee, July 22, 2002

Name: Damaging Wind in Tennessee, July 22, 2002
Start: 2002-07-22T18:45
End: 2002-07-22T18:45
Location: Tennessee

July 22, 2002 · NWS MRX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Numerous trees were reported down in Elizabethton and across the county.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $25,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS MRX wrote it up.

Numerous trees were reported down in Elizabethton and across the county.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Morristown, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 22, 2:20 PM EST, 4 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 22, 2:20 PM EST, 4 hours 25 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
320 PM EDT MON JUL 22 2002

THE FOLLOWING ARE ALL THE FORECAST DISCUSSIONS FROM THE PAST 24
HOURS...WITH THE MOST RECENT ON TOP. THIS PROVIDES A HISTORY OF THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THE CURRENT FORECAST.
*********************************************************************
AFTERNOON FORECAST DISCUSSION
320 PM EDT MON JUL 22 2002

AREA RADARS SHOWING SCATTERED ECHOES IN THE EASTERN FORECAST AREA...
AND THE VALLEY LOCATIONS TO THE EAST ARE HEATING UP APPRECIABLY.
CAPES IN THE TENNESSEE VALLEY ARE IN THE MODERATE RANGE...AND
EXPECT SCATTERED COVERAGE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO MOVE
NORTHWEST...INTO VALLEY LOCALS. THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO WEAKEN
AND DISSIPATE DURING THE LATE EVENING HOURS...SO WILL WORD POP WITH
AN EVENING SCATTERED POP.

A COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO APPROACH THE FORECAST AREA ON
TUESDAY...WITH BETTER UPPER AIR TROUGHING. PERHAPS MORE THAN
SCATTERED PRECIPITATION COVERAGE LOOKS TO INVADE THE NORTHWEST
FORECAST AREA...SO WILL GO WITH LIKELY AFTERNOON POP/S HERE.
ELSEWHERE...THE SCATTERED AFTERNOON POP SCENARIO CONTINUES (THOUGH UP
TO 50 PERCENT). MOS HIGH TEMPERATURES CLOSE AND REASONABLE...MAINLY
LOWER 90S CENTRAL/SOUTHERN TENNESSEE VALLEY LOCALS.

FOR TUESDAY NIGHT...HIGHER MOISTURE VALUES AND PROXIMITY OF FRONT
IS ENOUGH FOR A MOSTLY CLOUDY SKY...AND SCATTERED POP/S DURING THE
PERIOD. A 50 PERCENT CHANCE WILL BE ADVERTISED ON WEDNESDAY...WITH
MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES AND SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES.

ON THURSDAY...THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY MAY HANG UP IN THE FORECAST AREA.
HOWEVER...THE LONG-TERM MODELS SUGGEST THAT DRIER AIR WILL WORK IN
FROM THE NORTHWEST...WITH SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE TO THE WEST. SO...
WILL PLAY THIS SCENARIO FOR NOW...AND GO WITH PARTLY CLOUDY AND A 30
POP.

DM
*********************************************************************
MIDDAY FORECAST DISCUSSION (UPDATE)
1040 AM EDT MON JUL 22 2002

PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA TODAY...AS
THE 24-HR MOISTURE PROFILE HAS CHANGED LITTLE. HOWEVER...L/L MOISTURE
SHOULD INCREASE A LITTLE EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...AND DESTABILIZATION
IS EXPECTED TO DRIVE SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE
WESTERN FORECAST AREA (CUMBERLAND PLATEAU AND HIGHER ELEVATIONS
ADJACENT TO THE SEQUATCHIE VALLEY).

THEREAFTER...SCATTERED MOUNTAIN T-STORMS WILL BE ADVERTISED...AND
SOME OF THE STORMS IN THE PLATEAU MAY GET INTO THE TENNESSEE VALLEY
LATE.

NO FORECAST UPDATE PLANNED.

DM
*********************************************************************
MORNING FORECAST DISCUSSION
300 AM EDT MON JUL 22 2002

TRANSITION TO INCREASINGLY UNSETTLED WEATHER IN STORE FOR THE NEXT
FEW DAYS. EAST TO WEST ORIENTED UPPER RIDGE CURRENTLY STRETCHING
FROM THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC STATES TO THE CENTRAL PLAINS WILL BE ERODED
ON ITS NORTHERN AND EASTERN PERIPHERY BY A NORTHERN STREAM SHORT
WAVE. AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT IS PROJECTED TO APPROACH THE SOUTHERN
APPALACHIANS BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON. THIS WILL INCREASE CHANCES OF
PRECIP AS MOISTURE PROFILE BECOMES MORE CONDUCIVE FOR CONVECTION.
HAVE CONTINUED CURRENT POP TRENDS FOR THE THIRD AND FOURTH
PERIODS.

QUESTION THEN BECOMES WHETHER OR NOT FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE
AREA. MODELS PROJECT FRONT WILL MOVE SOUTH OF THE REGION. BASED ON
RECENT TRENDS THE FRONT STALLING ACROSS OR NEAR THE SOUTHERN
APPALACHIANS IS PROBABLY THE MOST LIKELY SCENARIO. THEREFORE WILL
CONTINUE WITH LOW POP FOR WEDNESDAY. TEMPS SHOULD REMAIN ABOVE
CLIMATOLOGY BEFORE DROPPING BACK TO NEAR CLIMATOLOGY ON WEDNESDAY.

REGARDING TEMPS...MOS GUIDANCE GENERALLY CLOSE AND APPEARS REASONABLE
BASED ON PERSISTENCE. TENDED TO FAVOR A BLEND WHERE SIGNIFICANT
DIFFERENCES OCCURRED.

PRELIMINARY CCF FOLLOWS:
CHA   94  72  93  72 /  30  20  40  50
TYS   91  71  90  71 /  30  20  40  50
TRI   90  67  88  68 /  30  20  40  50
OQT   91  71  90  72 /  30  20  40  50

.MRX...
NC...NONE.
TN...NONE.
VA...NONE.

LCM

*********************************************************************
EVENING FORECAST DISCUSSION (UPDATE)
910 PM EDT SUN JUL 21 2002

RADAR SHOWING ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MOVED SOUTH OF
OUR AREA.  WILL UPDATE ZONES TO TAKE PRECIPITATION CHANCES OUT FOR
THE REST OF TONIGHT.  SHOULD HAVE MORE PATCHY FOG DEVELOPING LATER
TONIGHT...WHICH IS WELL COVERED BY THE CURRENT FORECAST.
TEMPERATURES LOOK GOOD.

GH

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 22, 5:11 PM EST, 1 hour 34 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN, TN
611 PM EDT MON JUL 22 2002

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0515 PM    TELLICO PLAINS            TN   WIND DAMAGE
07/22/02   MONROE                         SEVERAL TREES AND POWER
                                          LINES DOWN ALONG HWY 360
                                          AND RELIANCE RD AT TELLECO
                                          PLAINS. REPORTED BY
                                          DISPATCH.

0520 PM    TELLICO PLAINS            TN   .75 INCH HAIL
07/22/02   MONROE                         DIME SIZE HAIL IN AND
                                          AROUND TELLECO PLAINS.
                                          REPORTED BY DISPATCH.

0540 PM    COUNTYWIDE                TN   WIND DAMAGE
07/22/02   HAWKINS                        SEVERAL TREES DOWN ACROSS
                                          THE COUNTY. REPORTED BY
                                          DISPATCH.

GRC

Local storm report, Jul 22, 5:22 PM EST, 1 hour 23 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN, TN
622 PM EDT MON JUL 22 2002

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0600 PM    ATHENS                    TN   WIND DAMAGE
07/22/02   MCMINN                         ROOF BLOWN OFF A HOUSE AND
                                          SEVERAL TREES DOWN IN THE
                                          CITY OF ATHENS. REPORTED BY
                                          DISPATCH.

GRC

Local storm report, Jul 22, 5:48 PM EST, 57 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN, TN
648 PM EDT MON JUL 22 2002

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0630 PM    CHARLESTON                TN   WIND DAMAGE
07/22/02   BRADLEY                        NUMEROUS TREES DOWN IN AND
                                          AROUND CHARLESTON. CAMPER
                                          ALSO BLOWN ONTO A TRUCK IN
                                          CHARLESTON. REPORTED BY
                                          DISPATCH.

GRC

Local storm report, Jul 22, 6:38 PM EST, 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN, TN
738 PM EDT MON JUL 22 2002

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0650 PM    ANDREWS                   NC   .75 INCH HAIL
07/22/02   CHEROKEE                       DIME SIZE HAIL IN AND
                                          AROUND ANDREWS. REPORTED BY
                                          DISPATCH.

GRC

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 108 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:45 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Carter

When: July 22, 6:45 PM EST
Where: Carter County, Elizabethton
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.350, -82.217

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Tennessee in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Tennessee, July 2002

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5309021.